Conventional portable audio systems often include a headphone that is connected to a media player (e.g., by one or more wires or by wireless technology). Conventional headphones may include one or two ear cup assemblies, each including an audio driver (i.e., a speaker) configured to produce audible sound waves with a diaphragm. For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate audio drivers 100 and 200, respectively, for a conventional headphone.
Referring to FIG. 1, the audio driver 100 may include a diaphragm 110 connected to a rim of a support structure 120, which may cause the outer edge of the diaphragm to be relatively rigid. In the center area of the diaphragm 110 is a cone member coupled to a magnetic member (e.g., a coil or a magnet). The portion of the diaphragm outside of the cone member may form a suspension member that, at least in part, determines the stiffness of the diaphragm 110. The diaphragm 110 permits the magnetic member attached to the diaphragm 110 to move back and forth responsive to a varying magnetic field generated by an audio signal. As a result, the diaphragm 110 generates audible sound waves in the air proximate the audio driver 100 that correspond to the frequencies of the audio signals.
Referring to FIG. 2, in additional previously known speaker systems, an audio driver 200 may include one or more metal suspension members 210 (instead of a plastic diaphragm) connected to a rim of a support structure 220. The suspension member 210 may be generally circular, and may have flexible beams connecting a radially outer rigid portion and a radially inner rigid portion. The radially inner rigid portion forms a platform to which a coil or a magnet may be attached.
Ear cup assemblies of headphones may also include tactile vibration drivers that are configured to generate tactile vibrations within the ear cup assemblies that may be felt by the user. Headphones including such tactile vibration drivers are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,965,028, which issued Feb. 24, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.